Why today's students are breaking the gap-year tradition

Long-established research shows students who take a gap year are less likely to drop out of university but some students are turning away from the gap year experience, keen just to get on with study and life.

By Emma Ferris

6 July 2015 — 5:01pm

Each year a dozen high school students learn the ins and outs of journalism from the best in the business through The Under Age, a program from The Age and Express Media. This story was written by a year 11 student journalist currently being mentored through the program.

It's come to that unnerving time of year when Year 12 students across Australia are told it's time to think seriously about the future.

Departure: Gap years developed when travel took longer and was more expensive but today's students, who can now zip overseas for shorter periods, seem to be turning against the long break from study.Credit:Nic Walker

Of immediate concern for most students is the question of what they will do once exams are done and the torture of 12 years is over. For many, the choice comes down to three options: undertake tertiary study, work, or head off on a gap year.

For those unfamiliar with the term, "gap year" traditionally refers to a year-long break, taken between high school and tertiary study, which usually involves a combination of work, volunteering and travel.

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The popularity of gap years has grown over the decades, and opting for a year abroad is now quite a common choice for students – however, opinions remain divided on its value, with many current Year 12 students feeling the opportunity is not worth the trouble.

"I don't really like the idea of gap years – I know some people who took gap years, and just never went back to study," said Charles Pruden, a Year 12 student at Scotch College. "My thoughts in general is once you're on a roll, you may as well keep going."

The sentiment is echoed by Beti Skehill, a Year 12 student at Caulfield Grammar. "I won't do a gap year, because I just want to get my education over and done with," she said. "I feel like the four months in-between high school and uni is enough for me."

When interviewed by The Under Age, many university students were also similarly cautious about the idea of gap years, with the consensus being that it would distract from further study.

Alessandra Chinsen, a first year student at Melbourne University, said she was happy with her decision not to take time off. "Given how much my intellectual capacity had diminished during the summer break, before the start of university, I shudder to think how much more my work ethic would have disintegrated had I taken a whole year off," she said, and joked about her choice of degree.

"Also, given that I knew I wanted to study arts, there didn't seem to be a point in putting it and my impending unemployment off any longer."

Alice Brady, another student at Melbourne University, also said she was glad to have gone straight on to further study. "As traumatic as Year 12 was, the four-month break between my final VCE exam and the beginning of O-Week at Uni was definitely enough time to forget my English texts and French vocabulary," she said.

"In fact, it was probably too much time off, as, by the time March rolled around, I had almost forgotten how to spell 'vocabulary'.

"In the event of this, my vegetable brain and I decided that it was probably time to go back to studying to prevent any further damage occurring."

Sue Douglass, a careers counsellor for Year 12 students, expressed an opposite view. "The concern about gap years in the past has been that students will not return to study," she said. "In my experience the students [who take gap years] are more inspired to study after their break."

However, she added that the popularity of gap years did seem to be dwindling. "There can be a number of reasons for this," she said. "Students decide a formal placement … is not an option for them straight from school and may choose to take a break after commencing study instead. The most significant change I have witnessed is the availability of exchange programs through universities, which allows students to commence study and have an experience overseas which gives them credit towards a degree in line with their future aspirations."

Nevertheless, while support for gap years may have fallen somewhat, there are still many students eager for a year off to explore and adventure. Lilly Lloyd, a Year 12 student currently planning on taking a year off in Berlin, was enthusiastic on the subject.

"You go to school, you go to uni, you get a job, you retire – [it] is the expected structure for many, but a gap year is a break from that, which can be without responsibility or burden," she said. "It's a chance to step back from that and consider what you really want to do with your life. There are many legitimate reasons not to take one, money being one of them – but if you have the chance, and the resources to, why not?"

See more at: theunderage.com.au/2015/06/17/to-gap-or-not-to-gap/#sthash.vgSyb8Xv.dpuf